Stop for bridge towers



Jan. 12 ,"1-9262= '7 1,568,975

a F. G. HARTWELL STOP FOR BRIDGE TOWERS Filed April 10, 1924 Inn/8722507" Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

ii i sra'r FRED G. HARTWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ARTHUR C. JOHNSTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STOP FOR BRIDGE TOWERS.

Application field April 10, 1924. Serial No. 705,710.

To all iii/r0022. it may cancer-=72:

Be it known that I. FRED G. HAn'rwnLL. a citizen of the I Tnited States, residing at Cl'iicago, in the county 01'? Cook and State oi Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Stops for Bridge Towers, of which the following is a bridge towers of traveling bridges in position. One object of my invention is to provide a positiveattachment,to the rail which will supplement the ordinary rail clamp. Another object is to provide a positive locking means which will go into active operation only after an initial movement of the bridge. Another object is to provide means which may be manually interposed between the trucks and the rail to limit the move ment of the tower along the rail withoutinterfering with the necessary slight adjusting movement. Other objects will appear from time to time in the specification and claims.

My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1. shows a side elevation of the parts of a tower with my invention in use;

Figure :2 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of the rail engaging element;

Figure 3 is a section taken vertically and transversely through the structure of Figure 2.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

A A are supporting trucks from which rise the legs A 3 of a bridge tower. These trucks are carried by a plurality of rail engaging wheels A, are tied together by the tie-beam A and are free to travel along the rail A. Mounted on the tie-beam A are rail clamps A adapted to engage and clamp the rail. These clamps may be automatic or controlled by the operator as the case may be.

B is a stop block adapted to rest on the top of the rail. It is provided at its center on opposed sides of the rail witlr downwardly depending ears B- B. These ears are apertured at B in line with holes ii drilled in the web of the rail. B is a holding pin adapted to be thrust through the ears B and the web to positively lock the block in position on the rail. The stop block tapers downwardly toward either end i Jan the center along a gradual radius of curvature and at its extreme end narrowed down as indicated at B B are bosses on either side of the block and B is a hole drilled or cored through these bosses and the block. 13 is a link forged in the hole B and loosely contained therein. B is a fiatbroad cable spliced in the link 13 and spliced on a pin 15 on the trucks A A In operation the blocks B are carriedon the trucks when the bridge is being moved. As soon as it reaches the place where it is going to stop these blocks are taken oil", placed on the rail, moved until the holes in the ears on the block are in line with the holes in the rail; the holding pins are then put in the cable is always slack so that the bridge may be free to move slightly during operation or for adjustment without interfering with the position of these blocks.

In the event that the bridge gets out of control of the operator or in the event that a Windstorm or the like moves the bridge against the normal holding of the clamps, movement will continue only far enough to tighten up the cable on the side opposite to the direction of movement, when movement will be stopped unless sutiicient pressure is exerted to break the cable. These blocks are ordinarily so positioned that by the time the cable is under tension, the leading truck wheel will have reached the block on the side of the direction of movement and will tend to ride up the inclined surface. Thus the blocks have a double function, one serving as anchorage tor the cable, the other serving as a stop to limit the forward movement by engagement directly with the wheel. It will be evident that while this arrangement of block and cable is particularly intended for use with traveling bridges, it might be used for any other purpose where it is desired to limit the movement along therail ofa wheel supported element and it is also evident that the device might be used in connection with a single truck or there might be two of them in connection with each truck for the bridge. It will be evident, therefore, that the showing I have made must be considered more or less diagrammatic.

I claim:

1. A removable anchor block adapted to engage a rail, for travelling members, comprising a body and wheels adapted to rest upon a track, said block having perforated ears depending downwardly from the sides of said block in line with perforations in the track, a removable lock pin adapted to pass through said perforated ears and opposed perforations in the track to hold the block in place, and a flexible member attached to the block at one end and a traveL ling member at the other.

i A removable anchor block adapted to engage a rail, for travelling members, comprising a body and wheels adapted to rest upon a track, said block having perforated ears depending downwardly from the sides of said block in line with perforations in the track, said ears being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the width of the upper portion of the rail, a removable lock pin adapted to pass through said perforated ears and opposed perforations in the track to hold the block in place, and a flexible member attached to the block at one end and a travelling member at the other.

3. A removable anchor block adapted to engage a rail, for travelling members, comprising a body and wheels adapted to rest upon a track, said block having perforated ears depending downwardly from the sides of said block in line with perforations in the track, a removable lock pin adapted to pass through said perforated ears and opposed perforations in the track to hold the block in place, and a flexible member attached to the block at one end and a travelling member at the other, the block being .provided with an extension lying on the track and having upwardly inclined surfaces substantially tangent to the track at their lower extremities and curved upwardly toward the top of the block to provide a stop which may be engaged by the bridge wheels.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 18th day of March, 1.924.

FRED G. HARTVVELL. 

